Appointment of an Organist at St Michael’s Church, Sandhurst

Appointment of an Organist at
St Michael’s Church, Sandhurst

St Michael’s Church, Sandhurst, is situated in the Diocese of Oxford, in the Borough of Bracknell Forest and serves a population of some 20,000. Though it is situated in Berkshire, it is very close to the counties of Surrey and Hampshire, and borders the Dioceses of Winchester and Guildford. It is close to the M3 (J4) and is on the Reading to Guildford railway line.

St Michael’s sees itself as a parish church serving the local community. The congregation includes people from a broad range of church backgrounds and contains children and young people and their parents. (For most of the year the children and young people spend most of the Parish Communion service in their own groups). The Rector is assisted by a retired priest and a part-time youthworker, and there is good lay participation in the running of church activities and a culture of shared responsibility and collaborative leadership.

A church has stood on this site for several centuries and the current building, designed by the renowned Victorian architect G.E. Street, was built in 1853 and has a variety of interesting features including a wood shingle spire housing a peal of six bells. The building has good acoustics for music and a two-manual Gray & Davison Organ with tracker action, a full RCO concave and radiating pedal board, which was restored in 2000, to enhance its capability to accompany the music and liturgy.

Music at St Michael’s

Our robed choir has long been RSCM-affiliated. It consists at present of trebles (boys and girls) aged 8–15 and up to 30 adults singing SATB. The Organist works with the paid Choir Director and attends the Choir practice on Thursday evenings from 7.30 to 9.00 pm. In the event of the Choir Director being unavailable there is a deputy choir director. There is an assistant organist who is available to cover if the Organist is absent.

The principal service on Sundays is a Parish Communion at which congregational settings (Gregory Murray, Barsby, Hancock and Addington) and psalms (to Anglican chant) are sung. Anthems or motets are sung by the choir during communion.

The Choir also sings at an evening service once per month – either a full Choral Evensong (Book of Common Prayer) with hymns and a setting of the evening canticles from the Book of Common Prayer (1662) or Sung Evensong with pointed settings of the canticles, or special services such as our two annual Memorial services. The Choir also sings for special services on Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Ascension Day and at Advent and Christmas.

There are other opportunities to present longer choral pieces throughout the year at a special service on Passion Sunday or Palm Sunday and at occasional concerts. In recent years we have sung Fauré’s Requiem, extracts from Karl Jenkins’ Mass for the Armed Man and Stainer’s Crucifixion. Other services involving choir participation include our summer outdoor “Songs of Praise” (in collaboration with other churches in the town), our Advent Carol Service and Christingle service. A highlight of the year is our candle-lit Carol Service on Christmas Eve which for many in Sandhurst is the real start of the Christmas celebrations!

Outside of St Michael’s, the choir is well known and often asked to provide music at civic and community functions, especially at Christmas and with the local Sandhurst Community Brass Band. Other invitations have taken us to Sherborne Abbey, Exeter and Chichester Cathedrals.

Outline Job Description

  • To play at all services where the organ is required, and in particular the weekly 9.30 am Parish Communion and monthly choral evensong services, as well as weddings, funerals, baptisms and special services
  • To play at choir rehearsals (normally Thursday evenings and before services on Sunday evenings and special occasions.)
  • To work with the appointed Choir Director
  • To assist the Choir Director in the planning of music to be performed by the Choir
  • To contribute to the maintenance of high musical standards and to the development of the musical traditions of the church
  • To attend meetings from time to time with the Rector, Choir Director and Choir Committee

The person we are looking for should:

  • Have good organ-playing skills and sensitive musicianship
  • Be a good sight-reader
  • Be sympathetic to the vision and ethos of our church
  • Be confident and highly motivated
  • Be a team player
  • Have familiarity with Anglican choral music (or willingness to acquire), and an awareness of, and sympathy towards, the developing traditions of contemporary church music and liturgy
  • Have good organisational and planning skills
  • Have enhanced CRB clearance, or willingness to undertake
  • Possess a formal musical qualification (desirable but not essential)

Remuneration

The post holder will be appointed on a self-employed basis, and fees for regular and one-off engagements will be agreed by the Parochial Church Council on an annual basis, and determined by reference to RSCM and ISM recommendations, subject to qualifications and experience.

Applications for this post

Please write a letter, indicating why you feel you have the qualities required for this post, and send with your CV to the church office at St Michael’s Pastoral Centre, Lower Church Road, Sandhurst, Berkshire, GU47 8HN, or by e-mail to .

Appendix

St Michael's Choir Vision Statement

The purpose of St Michael's Choir is three-fold: to sing praises to God and illuminate his word; to enrich the experience of worship in St Michael’s; and to give the young an understanding of music in the Church.

St Michael's Church Vision and Values

Our vision:

“We are a local Christian community who seek to love God and our neighbours more deeply.”

Our values:

We subscribe to the “Living Faith” priorities of the Diocese of Oxford, which are:

·  Sustaining the Sacred Centre

·  Making Disciples

·  Making a Difference in the world

·  Vibrant Christian Communities

·  Confident Collaborative Leadership

3